New Parishwide Chamber of Commerce

Chamber EBR To Represent Locally-Owned Businesses

CENTRAL — Business leaders from throughout the parish are organizing the new Chamber of Commerce of East Baton Rouge Parish, and some prominent business owners with ties to Central are taking leadership positions.

The new Chamber will be primarily for locally-owned, family-run businesses, according to executive director Bob Breaux.  Breaux formerly served as President/CEO of the Central Chamber.

The new Chamber will compete with the Baton Rouge Area Chamber, which some business owners say is too liberal and has lost touch with small business.

The members of the new and diverse group have adopted the motto, “We Stand for Small Business.”

Bob Breaux, said, “We believe the voice of locally-owned, family-run businesses needs to be heard before the Metro Council, the Louisiana Legislature, and the Congress.  We will take a strong stand for free market approaches to solving problems, limiting the power of government at all levels, and creating a climate for economic growth in East Baton Rouge Parish.  Growth and prosperity in our parish depend on significantly reducing crime, improving public education, and fighting unnecessary taxation.  Achieving that will be among our primary goals.”

In addition to his service as president of the Central Chamber, Breaux served as executive director of the West Baton Rouge Chamber and just completed a term as Chairman of the Board of the Ochsner Hospital group in the Baton Rouge area.  Prior to that, he was the Chairman of the Small Business Council of the Baton Rouge Area Chamber and owned his own small business for more than 18 years.

One of the principles of the new Chamber is equality of members, according to the group’s chairman, Woody Jenkins, the publisher of the Central City News.  Jenkins said there will be only one level of membership and a single annual dues for all member businesses — $150 a year.

”We won’t have ‘investors,’ and appointments to committees or positions of authority won’t depend on someone donating $10,000, $25,000, or $50,000 to the organization.  In fact, that is prohibited in the charter.” he said.

“The Chamber EBR will be an all-volunteer, member-driven organization — not a staff-driven organization.  In that sense, we will be more like a Rotary Club, a Kiwanis Club, or a Lions Club.  We don’t anticipate having full-time paid staff members any time soon, and the members will do the work of the organization ourselves,” he said.

The 21-member Executive Committee of the new Chamber includes male, female, white, black, Hispanic, Democratic, and Republican business owners.

Besides Breaux and Jenkins, the initial officers of the Chamber of Commerce of East Baton Rouge Parish are Bob Burns, owner of RAB Enterprises, Vice Chairman for Membership; Jeff Pollard, owner of Pollard Industries, Vice Chairman for Policy; Craig LeBlanc, chairman of Palco Electric, Vice Chairman for Entrepreneurship; Scott McKay, publisher of The Hayride, Secretary and Director of Media Relations, and Ralph Washington, owner of Red Stick Cleaners, Treasurer.

Members of the Executive Committee from Central include Burns, Jr. Shelton, and Ralph Washington.

Burns said the Articles of Incorporation have membership rules that should insure that the new Chamber will be composed of “locally-owned” and, in most cases, “family-run” businesses.  The requirements for membership include the following:

• Business must have a location or office in East Baton Rouge Parish.  This includes home-based businesses.

• A major owner of the business must reside in East Baton Rouge Parish or in a parish adjacent to East Baton Rouge.

• No more than 10 percent of the business’s revenues can come from government.

• The owner must agree with the Mission Statement of the organization, which is “to promote free enterprise, individual rights, limited government, traditional family values, character, education, patriotism, national security, and high ethical standards for business.”

• The business must not derive its income from gambling, pay-day loans, pornography, or abortion.

• The business must have a good reputation in the community.

• No non-profit organizations or governmental entities are eligible for membership.

Craig LeBlanc, Vice Chairman for Entrepreneurship, said almost all of the events for the new Chamber will be exclusively for business owners and their guests, who also must be business owners.

LeBlanc said one of the problems with some business organizations that attempt to provide networking opportunities is that their events consist almost entirely of sales people.  ”When a business owner does attend such an event, he can be overrun by sales people and not want to come back,” he said.

”The Chamber EBR will bring together business owners themselves to allow them to get to know one another, find mutual interests, and work together.  If this leads them to do business with one another, so much the better,” he said.

For more information on the new Chamber and a Membership Application, go to www.ChamberEBR.com.  Also see ad on Page 10.

The Chamber of Commerce will hold a Monthly Chamber Membership Luncheon at 11:30 a.m. on the 4th Tuesday of each month, beginning Tuesday, June 26 at Café Américain at 7521 Jefferson Hwy.  For reservations or information, call Bob Breaux at 279-6008.  Email is ChamberEBR@hotmail.com.